Nothing to hide… except my subsidies

So much for a free-market commission. At her "interrogation" by the EU parliament, agriculture commissioner designate, Mariann Fischer Boel told MEPs that she fully supported the CAP.

Speaking to MEPs. She boldly declared "Let me be quite clear on this", she said, "There is no alternative to the CAP… On their own, the markets would not provide the desired public goods which the citizens expect."

Warming to her theme, she added, "A re-nationalisation of the agricultural policy is not an option either. In the context of the single market re-nationalisation simply makes no sense… I am against -- to put it bluntly."

Of course, this had nothing to do with her later comments to the committee of MEPs: "I am married to a farmer but never considered it as a disadvantage to the post," she said, adding, "I am not hiding anything."

After the meeting, some centre-left MEPs said they had "serious reservations" about Boel’s nomination. They are concerned over what they see as her "liberal approach" to farming policy.

Were they interviewing the same woman?